McLean County is now home to a windfarm and Macon County's windfarm project continues on this summer with a completion date of the end of the year. 

 

Tuesday afternoon the Clinton Rotary Club heard from a group hoping to develop a windfarm in DeWitt County. Tom Swierczewski (swear-chess-key) is the Development Director for Tradewind Energy and explains the DeWitt County project is already almost a decade old.

 

 

According to Swierczewski, they hope to obtain their permit from DeWitt County and begin construction next year in the fall. He notes completion would be around 2019 in the best case scenario.

 

 

A windfarm would benefit almost all the taxing bodies of the county along with provide around 15 jobs. Swierczewski says they would be 15 good paying jobs.

 

 

Swierczewski adds Illinois is the only state they deal with where they pay more in property taxes than property rent.

 

He explains they have to do a lot of research in deciding where to place their wind turbines. The DeWitt County Board recently approved zoning permits for meteorological towers to determine the feasibility for the towers.

 

 

The company also does not deal power directly to the grid. Swierczewski explains they traditionally will contract with an entity or utility. 

 

 

Sciewczewski adds they are not the company building the wind farm in Macon County, in fact Trade Wind Energy is the competition of E. ON Energy, the company heading the project in Macon County.